Wind-chest for self-playing organs and musical instruments.



W. A. BRAUER.

WIND CHEST FOR SELF PLAYING ORGANS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED 110 1.24, 1908.

1,002, 1 26. Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

7 ZSHEETB-SHEET 1.

1 A W d if In 2 x 4 W, I I ,1 g

H W ///////A W I V V 7/ iii /a /5 5,- 14 /5 /5 14 /5 /5 /4 l8 l7 l9 l7 /7 W. A. BRAUER.

WIND CHEST FOR SELF PLAYING OE GA NS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1908.

1,002,126. Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a ghwantov UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. BRAUEB, OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

WIND-CHEST FOR SELF-PLAYING ORGANS AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM A. BRAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, county of Niagara, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wind Chests for Self-Playing Organs and Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to suction windchests for self-playing organs and musical instruments.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel wind chest having diaphragms and suitable connections therefor, in a self-playing organ or other musical instrument, wherein the diaphragms therein will be so poised as to promptly respond to the atmospheric pressure admitted thereto, on the operation of the perforated music sheet passing over the tracker board and thereby actuating the valves, keys or stickers, as the case may be, of the musical instrument, and so as to do away with the commonly employed construction wherein the valves or keys are operated by individual exhaust bellows for each organ pipe or series of pipes, which are on the same conduit, or for each key in other instruments, with resulting superiority of action, simplified and cheapened construction, and obviation of leakage.

The present invention is carried out by the utilization of pressure and exhaust chambers and valve and diaphragm devices and ports arranged and combined in a novel manner as set forth more fully hereinafter and recited in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a transverse section through the wind chest and one of the air conduits in a selfplaying organ; Fig. 2 is a section taken longitudinally of the wind chest, partly broken away in such organ; Fig. 8 is a transverse section through a modified form of the present suction wind chest, and through an old style wind chest with pipes; showing the adaptation of the invention to the playing of an old style instrument; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the old style wind chest with the front removed.

The wind chest 1 is of suitable length and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 24, 1908.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

Serial No. 464,321.

size according to the number of valves and pipes employed in the organ or instrument, and has a pressure chamber 2 and an ex haust chamber 3. A continuous pressure is maintained in the chamber '2 by a pressure bellows 1, which is operated by an electric or other motor, showndiagrammatically at 5. The exhaust chamber 3 is maintained in an exhausted condition by an exhaust bellows 6, which is also operated by the motor 5. As will. be readily understood, the motor 5 also operates the rolls over which the perforated music sheet passes; said music sheet being caused to travel over an ordinary tracker board, (not shown).

The pipes are shown at 7, to which, in each instance, there leads an air conduit 8, there being as many of these conduits as there are pipes to be independently controlled or voiced. The respective conduits 8 are in communication with the pressure chamber 2 by ports 9. Each air conduit has its own valve 10 slidable on guides 11 to control the admission of the pressure from the chamber 2 to said conduit. It will be understood that the form of these valves is not material, the old form of hinged valve with the valve stem either jointed to it or made to pass through suitable guides and act loosely against the valve may be used if preferred and any other form of valve with suitable connection or point of contact with the valve stem may be used. The valve has a stem 12, which passes through an opening 13 in conduit 8, and has secured thereto a button 14, which is fastened to a diaphragm 15, which is secured to-the margin of a concavity 16 in the side of the conduit 8 so that there can be no leakage of air from the con duit 8 into the exhaust chamber 3, and the said diaphragm 15 and button 14 are adapted to be received in the chamber 16 when thevalve 10 is lifted. In case of adaptation to other forms of valves, this diaphragm may be used in conjunction with a suitable bearing fitted into opening 13, or elsewhere, through whichbearing or way, the valve stem or sticker may pass. The stem or sticker 12 carries on its lower end a button 17, which is adapted to cooperate with, but preferably, is not connected to, a button 18 attached to a diaphragm 19, which is secured to the margin of an auxiliary chamber 20 in the side of the exhaust chamber or trunk 3. v

The construction described is duplicated for each air conduit 8, the valve mechanisms in practice being arranged in staggered relation to minimize the length of the wind chest.

Each chamber 20 has its own duct 21 leading thereto from the pipe or tube 22, which connects it to its controlling port or opening in the tracker board, and each of these ducts 21 has a branch 23 leading through a small opening into chamber 3.

So long as the port in the tracker board which controls a given valve is closed, that valve 10 remains closed, as shown at the right of Fig. 1; because the exhausted condition of chamber 3 is communicated via ducts 23 and 21, to the auxiliary chamber 20, and the pressure is on the valve 10, which pressure may be augmented, if desired, by a suitable spring (not shown) attached to the valve or its stem, as will be readily seen. lVhen the said port in the tracker board is uncovered by the coincidence therewith of a perforation in the music sheet, the atmospheric pressure at once passes via the given pipe 22 to the duct 21 and chamber 20, as also to a limited extent into chamber 3, and this pressure, as against the suction exhaust in chamber 3, raises the diaphragm 19, which then presses the button 17 and valve stem and valve attached, upwardly, admitting air under pressure from chamber 2 to the corresponding conduit 8 and sounding the pipes connected to said conduit; it being understood that the pressure in chamber 2 is overcome by the access of atmospheric pressure, augmented by the exhausted condition of chamber 3, as set forth, and the valve remains where positioned, until the port in the tracker board is again closed by the action of the music sheet; whereupon the exhaust or suction of chamber 8 is communicated through the ports 23 and 21 to the chamber 20, and the diaphragm 19 then collapses, the pressure in concavity 16, supplemented by the exhausted condition of chamber 3, acting on diaphragm 15, assisting in this closing movement.

It will be understood that with slight modifications this device may be adapted to the playing of any musical instrument.

In Figs. 3 and 41, I have shown the adaptation of the invention to the stickers of the ordinary valves of an organ, through the intervention of an arm. The organ pipes 7 are in communication with the air conduits 8 which receive their air pressure for sounding the organ pipes from the wind chest 2", the admission of air to the conduit being controlled by the spring-pressed valves 10 which are operated by the stems 24. The wind chest, made according to my invention, for this particular use, is shown at 1 and has an exhaust chamber 3 as before described. As previously described, there is a plurality of stems 12, each connected to a diaphragm 15 by buttons 1 1 and carrying at their lower ends buttons 17 to cooperate with buttons 18 on diaphragms 19. Chambers 16 and 20 are used, as before, and so are sets of ducts 21 and 23 and pipes 22 which lead to the tracker board. Secured to the upper end of each valve stem is a button 25 to cooperate with an arm 20, which has an adjustable button 27 to cooperate with the stem 24:. The pressure chamber 2" performs the oflice of the pressure chamber 2 of Figs. 1 and 2 and the suction chamber 3 performs the office of the suction chamber 3 of said figures, and the operation is substantially the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wind chest for controlling the operation of musical instruments, the combination with a pressure chamber, of means for supplying pressure thereto, a suction or exhaust chamber, means for exhausting said suction chamber, a valve subject to the pressure in the pressure chamber, a diaphragm exposed to the suction chamber on one side, means for admitting atmospheric pressure to the other side of said diaphragm, and means cooperatively related to the valve and diaphragm by which the valve is moved against the pressure in the pressure chamber on the accession of the atmospheric pressure to said diaphragm.

2. In a wind chest for controlling the operation of musical instruments, the combination with a pressure chamber, of means for supplying pressure thereto, a suction or exhaust chamber, means for exhausting said suction chamber, a valve subject to the pressure in the pressure chamber, a diaphragm exposed to the suction chamber 011 one side, means for admitting atmospheric pressure to the other side of said diaphragm, another diaphragm exposed to the exhaust chamber on one side and on the other side exposed to the air pressure when the aforesaid valve is open, and means cooperatively related to the said valve and diaphragms by which the valve is moved against the pressure in the pressure chamber on the accession of the atmosphere to the diaphragm first-named.

3. In a wind chest for controlling the operation of musical instruments, the combination with a pressure chamber, of means for supplying pressure thereto, a suction or exhaust chamber, means for exhausting said suction chamber, a valve subject to the pressure in the pressure chamber, a diaphragm having both sides exposed to said suction pressure in the pressure chamber on the chamber means for admitting atmospheric In testimony whereof, I hereunto afliX my pressurle to {she giaplilragm, and (ineansh coopsignature in presence of two witnesses.

erative y re ate to t e Valve an diap ragm v by which the Valve is moved against the BRAUER' Witnesses:

FRED C. STRAssBURG, OTTO Gr. BRAUER.

accession of the atmospheric pressure to the diaphragm.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

